Fellows Council

The Fellows Council is comprised of nine Flinn-Brown Fellows that assist the Arizona Center for Civic Leadership in its planning and programming, promote the statewide Flinn-Brown Network, and help recruit future Flinn-Brown Fellows.

The members of the Fellows Council are:

Tamara Prime (Chair)

Chief Operating Officer
Primavera Foundation
2014 Flinn-Brown Fellow
LinkedIn

Tamara Prime is the chief operating officer for the Primavera Foundation, a Tucson-based NeighborWorks organization that provides pathways out of poverty. She provides strategic leadership, staff guidance and accountable oversight across many lines of business including: emergency services, workforce development, civil rights restoration, financial education and empowerment, home ownership promotion, neighborhood revitalization, and community building and engagement.  

Throughout her career in community development, Tamara has consistently advocated for community-driven change and social equity, holding diverse positions across multiple sectors such as: chief of staff for a local elected official; community affairs administrator for the regional’s council of government; project manager for Arizona’s statewide philanthropy serving organization; and director for several nonprofit organizations.  

Tamara holds a Master of Arts degree from Prescott College and a Bachelor of Arts degree from University of Arizona. She is also a Public Voices Fellow for the Tucson Op Ed Project.

Term expires 12/31/2025


Alesia Ash

Judicial Law Clerk
U.S. District Court, District of Arizona
2015 Flinn-Brown Fellow
LinkedIn

Alesia Ash is an incoming law clerk for the Honorable Rosemary Márquez at the U.S. District Court in Tucson. Before this role, she gained experience as a policymaker and as a staffer for members of Congress on both sides of the aisle. Alesia was elected to the Sierra Vista City Council in 2014, becoming the youngest person ever to earn a seat on the council. She served as Mayor Pro Tem from 2016 to 2018.  

Alesia earned her Juris Doctor and Master of Public Administration degrees from the University of Arizona. She also holds a Diplomado in Mexican Public Law and Policy from the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) and a Bachelor of Science from Arizona State University. 

Term expires 12/31/2025


Nicole Barraza

Director of Governance and Outreach
Southern Arizona Leadership Council
2020 Flinn-Brown Fellow
LinkedIn

Nicole P. Barraza is from Nogales, Sonora, Mexico. She received her Bachelor of Arts in political science from Wellesley College, and her Master’s and doctorate from Stanford University in Sociolinguistics and Peninsular Literature. After living in different geographic regions in both the United States and Mexico, Nicole moved to Tucson and taught at Pima Community College. She is currently the Director of Governance and Outreach at the Southern Arizona Leadership Council, a public policy organization that works to improve the economic climate and quality of life in Tucson and the state of Arizona.  Nicole is passionate about civic engagement and wants to serve where she can have the most impact.    

Term expires 12/31/2025


Manuel “Jesse” Galvez

Major
Arizona Department of Public Safety
2023 Flinn-Brown Fellow
LinkedIn

Jesse Galvez is an Arizona native born and raised in Yuma and began his career as a State Trooper with the Arizona Department of Public Safety in 1999. During his career, Jesse has held various leadership positions in administrative and operational assignments in special investigations, public affairs, and highway patrol. Currently, Jesse holds the rank of Major and works from the Agency’s headquarters in Phoenix. Jesse graduated from ASU with a degree in sociology and is also an FBI National Academy and Arizona’s Leaders Connect Program graduate. Jesse loves running with his wife and volunteering at his children’s school.

Term expires 12/31/2025


Elyse Guidas

Executive Director
Activate Food
2019 Flinn-Brown Fellow
LinkedIn

Elyse serves as Executive Director of Farm Express, a fleet of nonprofit, mobile produce markets that sell high quality, affordable fruits and vegetables in communities with limited access to healthy food. She is Vice Chair of the City of Phoenix Environmental Quality and Sustainability Commission and is also adjunct faculty at the University of Arizona Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, where she teaches courses in the areas of budget and finance for healthcare organizations. Elyse is a passionate proponent of health in all aspects of public life and works tirelessly to make Arizona inclusive and equitable for all.

Term expires 12/31/2025


Joanne Osborne

Co-Owner
Osborne Jewelers
2012 Flinn-Brown Fellow
LinkedIn

Joanne Osborne is a fourth-generation Arizonan and proud to be a part of the First Families of Arizona. Hard work, commitment to God, and strong family values have helped Joanne live the American Dream. She is a Christian community leader, successful business owner, and public servant.   

As a former member of the Arizona House of Representatives, Joanne served as the chairwoman of the House Health and Human Services Committee and sat on the Appropriations Committee. She is a former Goodyear city council member, serving 11 years including two years as vice mayor.   

Joanne has been recognized for her leadership and dedication to various causes in the West Valley and was named Legislator of the Year by the Arizona Manufacturing Council in 2020. She also won the Impact Leader of the Year award from Meals of Joy in 2019. Joanne and her husband, Ken, have owned Osborne Jewelers since 1990 and have four children.  

Term expires 12/31/2024


Paul Perrault

Senior Vice President of Policy
Helios Education Foundation 
2016 Flinn-Brown Fellow
LinkedIn

Paul G. Perrault is the vice president of research & evaluation for Helios Education Foundation.  Prior to joining Helios, he was a research faculty member at the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan. 

Perrault received his doctorate in educational foundations and policy at the University of Michigan along with two master’s degrees. 

Currently, he serves as a board member for Touchstone Health Services and is co-chair of the Data Impact Group for Grantmakers for Education.     

Term expires 12/31/2024


Bill Regner

Professional Coach
The Regner Group
2018 Flinn-Brown Fellow
LinkedIn

Bill retired from the Clarkdale Town Council in November 2022 after serving 12 and a half years.  He continues to work on behalf of the town on transportation and historic preservation issues.

His professional background includes behavioral health service delivery and management; professional staffing recruitment; commercial sales; political and community campaigns; municipal boards and commissions; and business management.  He is the recipient of the 2004 Outstanding Community Leadership Award from the Tempe Leadership Program and Tempe Chamber of Commerce and the 2022 Arizona Center for Civic Leadership Flinn-Brown Network Builder award. Bill is committed to good governance practices and the enfranchisement of voters through open primaries, fair districting, and support of non-party affiliated candidates. 

Bill is married to Flinn-Brown Fellow Janet Regner (2017).  They have two sons and daughters-in-law and four beautiful grandsons.  Bill and Janet enjoy their forever home on a cliffside overlooking the beautiful Verde River and Tuzigoot National Monument in the Verde Valley community of Clarkdale in eastern Yavapai County.  

Term expires 12/31/202


Christine Thompson (Past Chair)

Independent Consultant
2017 Flinn-Brown Fellow
LinkedIn

Christine M. Thompson brings nearly three decades of experience as a leader in Arizona’s nonprofit and government sectors to her consulting engagements. Her background includes leadership positions at Expect More Arizona, the State Board of Education, the Arizona Board of Regents, and the State Bar of Arizona.

Christine’s consulting practice encompasses leadership development and coaching, strategic development and planning, public policy development, community engagement and consensus building, charitable giving program advancement, crisis management and communications, and interim executive leadership.

A proud product of Arizona’s public schools, she attended K-12 in Mesa Public Schools and received her Bachelor of Arts and Juris Doctor degrees from the University of Arizona. Christine lives in Phoenix with her husband and twin boys.

Term expires 12/31/2024